Automobile door sealing structure

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a structure in which no gap that allows water admission between a weather strip and a glass run is formed in a situation where the weather strip at an upper frame portion of a window frame extends gradually downwardly apart from the glass run. The upper glass run portion is provided with a door panel sealing lip. The door panel sealing lip is provided with a form change point. The door panel sealing lip has a portion located closer to a center portion in a front-rear direction of the vehicle than the form change point is, and the portion contacts an upper surface of an upper frame portion and is bent outward away from a cabin. The door panel sealing lip has another portion located closer to an end than the form change point is, and the portion is not bent but extends downward.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2017-238803 filed on Dec. 13, 2017, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an automobile door sealing structureincluding a glass run mounted to, for example, a window frame of anautomobile door and in particular to an automobile door sealingstructure including a glass run and a weather strip.

There are various types of automobile side doors, one of which has awindow frame holding a peripheral portion of a window glass. A doorhaving such a window frame is provided with a glass run for sealing agap between the window frame and the periphery of the window glass (forexample, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Translation of PCTApplication) No. 2008-518135).

The glass run described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication(Translation of PCT Application) No. 2008-518135 is assembled on awindow frame from the exterior of a vehicle cabin. Such a glass runconfigured to be assembled on the window frame from the exterior of thecabin, as described in such a publication, is called a “hiding type”glass run partially covering the window frame from the exterior of thecabin. This glass run may sometimes be adopted due to, e.g., designrequirements of a vehicle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-103984 discloses a doorweather strip structure including a first weather strip having a hollowseal part and mounted to a window frame at an inner side close to thevehicle cabin, and a second weather strip having a seal lip and mountedto the window frame at an outer side away from the vehicle cabin. Thefirst and the second weather strips provide a seal between the peripheryof the window frame and the opening of the vehicle body. An exteriorportion, away from the vehicle cabin, of the first weather stripoverlaps an interior portion, close to the vehicle cabin, of the secondweather strip.

SUMMARY

To provide a better seal, a weather strip having a hollow seal part suchas the first weather strip of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2002-103984 may be disposed at an interior part, close to the vehiclecabin, of a glass run included in a hidden-type structure.

In this case, an exterior portion, away from the vehicle cabin, of theweather strip is in contact with an interior portion, close to thevehicle cabin, of the glass run to prevent water from entering betweenthe glass run and the weather strip. Without such contact, water such asrain may enter across the glass run and the weather strip into thevehicle cabin.

For example, FIG. 10 illustrates a structure of a glass run 10 and aweather strip 50 mounted on a window frame 3. The glass run 10 has adoor panel sealing lip 26 at an inner end close to the vehicle cabin tocontact the window frame 3, and the weather strip 50 has an outersealing lip 58 at an outer end away from the vehicle cabin. The outersealing lip 58 is brought in contact with the door panel sealing lip 26to prevent water from entering a gap between the glass run 10 and theweather strip 50.

If this structure is included in the front door, the glass run 10linearly extends toward the rear of the vehicle in the upper portion ofthe window frame 3 but the weather strip 50 curvilinearly extendsdownward toward the rear end of the window frame 3, which is a typicalautomobile structure. FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-section taken at aposition closer to the rear of the vehicle than the cross-sectionillustrated in FIG. 10 does. In FIG. 11, the weather strip 50 is locatedat a position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 11) lower than theposition (indicated by a dash double-dot line in FIG. 11) of the weatherstrip 50 illustrated in FIG. 10. In this lower position, the outersealing lip 58 of the weather strip 50 is apart from the door panelsealing lip 26 of the weather strip 50, which creates a gap 200 betweenthe outer sealing lip 58 and the door panel sealing lip 26. Through thegap 200, water such as rain may enter the vehicle cabin.

If the structure is included in the rear door, which is not illustrated,the glass run linearly extends toward the front of the vehicle at theupper part of the window frame but the weather strip curvilinearlyextends downward toward the front end of the window frame, which is atypical automobile structure. This structure creates a gap as describedabove, and water such as rain may enter the vehicle cabin through thegap.

The present disclosure has been conceived in view of the above problems,and attempts to substantially prevent water from entering a vehiclecabin by not creating a gap that allows water admission between a glassrun and a weather strip mounted on a window frame if the weather stripat the upper part of the window frame extends gradually downwardly apartfrom the glass run, or in other words, if sealing members are graduallyseparated from each other.

A first aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an automobiledoor sealing structure comprising: a glass run mounted to a window framedefining a window opening of an automobile door to provide a sealbetween the window frame and a window glass; and a weather strip mountedto the window frame and located closer to a cabin than the glass run is,wherein the glass run includes an upper glass run portion extending in afront-rear direction of a vehicle along an upper frame portion of thewindow frame, the upper glass run portion includes a glass run bodyhaving an insertion groove into which a glass run mount of the upperframe portion is inserted, the glass run body includes an upper plateportion extending along an upper surface of the glass run mount, a lowerplate portion extending along a lower surface of the glass run mount,and an exterior plate portion extending from an exterior end of theupper plate portion to an exterior end of the lower plate portion, theglass run body has a door panel sealing lip protruding downward from aninterior end of the upper plate portion to contact the upper frameportion, the door panel sealing lip extending in the front-reardirection, the weather strip includes an upper weather strip extendingin the front-rear direction along the upper frame portion, and mountedto a lower portion of a step part in the upper frame portion, the steppart being located closer to the cabin than the glass run mount is, andhaving an exterior upper portion away from the cabin and an interiorlower portion closer to the cabin, the upper weather strip includes ahollow seal part configured to elastically deform upon compression by avehicle body and an outer sealing lip protruding upward from an exteriorpart of the hollow seal part to contact an interior end surface of theupper plate portion and an interior part of the door panel sealing lipof the glass run body, center portions of the upper weather strip andthe upper glass run portion in the front-rear direction extend generallyparallel to each other in the front-rear direction, and the upperweather strip extends downwardly apart from the upper glass run portiontoward an end in the front-rear direction, and the door panel sealinglip has a form change point for changing form of the door panel sealinglip at a position immediately before the upper weather strip isdownwardly apart from the upper glass run portion, the door panelsealing lip has a portion located closer to the center portion in thefront-rear direction than the form change point is, contacting the uppersurface of the glass run mount of the upper frame portion and bentoutward away from the cabin, and the door panel sealing lip has anotherportion located closer to an end in the front-rear direction than theform change point is, and extending downward.

According to this configuration, the upper glass run portion is attachedto the glass run mount of the window frame, and the upper weather stripis attached to be closer to the cabin than the glass run mount of thewindow frame is. In this state, the outer sealing lip of the upperweather strip is in contact with the interior part of the door panelsealing lip of the upper glass run portion.

Since the center portions of the upper weather strip and the upper glassrun portion in the front-rear direction extend generally parallel toeach other in the front-rear direction, the outer sealing lip of theupper weather strip is in contact with the door panel sealing lip of theupper glass run portion, thereby substantially preventing water fromentering the cabin. The upper weather strip extends downwardly apartfrom the upper glass run portion toward an end in the front-reardirection, and this may introduce water into the vehicle cabin. In thefirst aspect, however, the door panel sealing lip has the form changepoint, and this allows the portion of the door panel sealing lip, closerto the end in the front-rear direction of the vehicle than the formchange point is, to extend downward. With this structure, the outersealing lip of the upper weather strip is in contact with the portion ofthe door panel sealing lip of the upper glass run portion closer to theend in the front-rear direction, thereby substantially preventing waterfrom entering the vehicle cabin.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of the firstaspect of the present disclosure. In the second aspect, the form changepoint is a cut or a notch formed upward from a lower end of the doorpanel sealing lip.

Since the door panel sealing lip of the upper glass run portion has apreformed cut or notch, a worker can make the door panel sealing lip ina desired form by simply attaching the upper glass run portion to theupper frame portion.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of the secondaspect of the present disclosure. In the third aspect, the centerportion of the upper glass run portion in the front-rear direction is anextruded portion formed by extrusion, and a portion of the upper glassrun portion, located closer to an end in the front-rear direction thanthe extruded portion is, is a molded portion formed by molding with anopenable mold, and the form change point is located in the moldedportion.

The upper glass run portion includes the extruded portion having auniform cross-section and the molded portion having a varyingcross-section. With this structure, the form change point, which islocated in the molded portion, can be simultaneously formed in themolding process.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of the thirdaspect of the present disclosure. In the fourth aspect, in the doorpanel sealing lip, the portion, located closer to the end in thefront-rear direction than the form change point is, is thinner towardthe lower end.

This structure provides flexibility to the portion of the door panelsealing lip located closer to the end in the front-rear direction thanthe form change point is, and allows the portion to smoothly extendalong the upper frame portion.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of the fourthaspect of the present disclosure. In the fifth aspect, in the door panelsealing lip, the portion, located closer to the end in the front-reardirection than the form change point is, contacts an interior part of avertical surface of the step part in the upper frame portion.

This structure provides a seal between the portion of the door panelsealing lip, located closer to the end in the front-rear direction thanthe form change point is, and the vertical surface of the step part inthe upper frame portion.

A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an embodiment of the fifthaspect of the present disclosure. In the sixth aspect, in the door panelsealing lip, the portion, located closer to the end in the front-reardirection than the form change point is, is sandwiched between thevertical surface and the outer sealing lip in a thickness direction.

Since, in the door panel sealing lip, the portion, located closer to theend in the front-rear direction than the form change point is, issandwiched between the vertical surface of the step part in the upperframe portion and the outer sealing lip, this structure can provide aseal between the vertical surface and the door panel sealing lip andbetween the door panel sealing lip and the outer sealing lip.

According to the first aspect, if the upper glass run portion and theupper weather strip are mounted to the upper window frame and the upperweather strip extends gradually downwardly apart from the upper glassrun portion, the outer sealing lip of the upper weather strip cancontact the door panel sealing lip of the upper glass run portion tosubstantially prevent water from entering the cabin.

According to the second aspect, since the form change point is a cut ora notch, this does not bother the worker in mounting the upper glass runportion to the upper frame portion, and the worker can easily make thedoor panel sealing lip in a desired form to substantially prevent waterfrom entering the vehicle cabin.

According to the third aspect, since the form change point is located inthe molded portion, the form change point can be simultaneously formedin the molding process for forming the molded portion.

According to the fourth aspect, since, in the door panel sealing lip,the portion, located closer to the end in the front-rear direction thanthe form change point is, is thinner toward the lower end, the doorpanel sealing lip can smoothly extend along the upper frame portion,thereby providing a better seal for preventing water from entering thevehicle cabin.

According to the fifth aspect, a seal can be provided between theportion of the door panel sealing lip, located closer to the end in thefront-rear direction than the form change point is, and the verticalsurface of the step part in the upper frame portion.

According to the sixth aspect, a seal can be provided between thevertical surface of the step part in the upper frame portion and thedoor panel sealing lip and between the door panel sealing lip and theouter sealing lip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left side view (seen from an exterior of a vehicle) of anautomobile door including an automobile door sealing structure accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upper, inner rear part of a windowframe of the automobile door close to a vehicle cabin seen fromdiagonally above.

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 from which a weather strip isremoved.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part A in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an upper glass run cut along line IV-IVin FIG. 3 seen from an interior of the vehicle cabin.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the glass run andan upper portion of a weather strip taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 2seen from the interior of the vehicle cabin.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 2 andillustrates a positional relation between center portions of the glassrun and the weather strip in a front-rear direction.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a positional relation between a rearportion of the glass run and a rear portion of the weather strip in acase in which the present disclosure is not applied.

FIG. 12 is a right side view (seen from an interior of the vehicle) ofthe automobile door including an automobile door sealing structureaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detailwith reference to the drawings. The following description ofadvantageous embodiments is only an example in nature, and is notintended to limit the scope, applications, or use of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a left front door (automobile door) 1 includingthe automobile door sealing structure according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure seen from the exterior (left side) of a vehicle cabin(hereinafter referred to as “the cabin”). The left front door 1 isinstalled to the left front side of an automobile (not illustrated), andopens and closes an opening (not illustrated) formed in the left frontside of the vehicle. A right front door (not illustrated) and the leftfront door are symmetrically equipped. The vehicle door glass runaccording to the present disclosure is mountable on the right and leftrear doors (not illustrated). The doors are not limited to hinged doorsthat are opened or closed about the hinge shaft. The doors may besliding doors that slide, for example, in a front-rear direction of thevehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “the front-rear direction”).

In the description of this embodiment, the side closer to the front ofthe vehicle is simply referred to as “front,” and the side closer to therear of the vehicle is simply referred to as “rear.” Further, a part ofa component located in or closer to the cabin is simply referred to as“an interior part of a component,” and a part of a component locatedaway from the cabin is simply referred to as “an exterior part of acomponent.” The direction toward the cabin is simply referred to as“inward,” and the direction away from the cabin is simply referred to as“outward.”

Structure for Automobile Door

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the left front door 1 includes a door body 2that is almost a substantially lower half of the left front door 1 and awindow frame 3 that is almost a substantially upper half of the leftfront door 1. Although not illustrated, a front end of the door body 2is attached on a pillar of a vehicle body via hinges pivoting about anaxis extending in a vertical direction. The door body 2 includes aninner panel (not shown) and an outer panel 2 a which are made of a steelsheet or any other suitable material, and is configured to house awindow glass 4 which is movable up and down, and a lifting apparatus(not shown) which allows the window glass 4 to move up and down.

The window frame 3 functions as a sash holding a peripheral portion ofthe window glass 4, and extends to define a window opening 7. The windowglass 4 is configured to cover or uncover the window opening 7 definedby the window frame 3. The window frame 3 of this embodiment iscomprised of a combination of an outer panel 5 and an inner panel 6,both of which are press-formed from a steel sheet or any other suitablematerial, as shown in FIG. 4. Note that the window frame 3 may beobtained by, for example, roll forming.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the window frame 3 is comprised of an upperframe portion 3 a and a rear frame portion 3 b. The upper frame portion3 a extends rearward from a front part of an upper edge of the door body2, and is curved such that the upper frame portion 3 a extends upwardtoward the rear end of the door body 2. The rear frame portion 3 bextends upward from a rear portion of the upper edge of the door body 2.An upper end of the rear frame portion 3 b and a rear end of the upperframe portion 3 a are connected together to form the window frame 3.

The shape of the window frame 3 is not limited to the illustrated one.Alternatively, the window frame 3 may be generally curved upward, andthe position of a curved portion and a curvature of inclination angle ofthe upper frame portion 3 a may be set in conformance to the roof shapeof the vehicle body. The window frame 3 may include a front frame (notillustrated) vertically extending below the upper frame portion 3 a. Thefront lower part of the upper frame portion 3 a is provided with a doormirror mount 3 d to which a door mirror (not illustrated) is attached.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper frame portion 3 a of the window frame 3 isprovided with a plate-shaped, glass run mount 8 protruding toward theexterior of the cabin. The glass run mount 8 is comprised of exteriorparts of the outer panel 5 and the inner panel 6. That is to say, theexterior part of the outer panel 5 extends substantially horizontally,and continuously extends in the front-rear direction. Likewise, theexterior part of the inner panel 6 extends substantially horizontally,and continuously extends in the front-rear direction. The lower surfaceof the exterior part of the inner panel 6 is placed on the upper surfaceof the exterior part of the outer panel 5 to form the glass run mount 8.The glass run mount 8 can be constituted by either one or both of theouter panel 5 and the inner panel 6.

The upper frame portion 3 a includes a step part 3 e located closer tothe interior of the cabin than the glass run mount 8 is. The step part 3e defines an exterior upper portion away from the cabin and an interiorlower portion close to the cabin. The step part 3 e includes a verticalsurface 3 f and a horizontal surface 3 g. The vertical surface 3 fextends in the vertical direction. The horizontal surface 3 g extendsinward from the lower end of the vertical surface 3 f toward the cabin.At the center portion of the upper frame portion 3 a in the front-reardirection, the vertical surface 3 f extends in the front-rear directionwith a substantially constant height and the horizontal surface 3 gextends at a generally constant height level relative to the glass runmount 8. At the rear of the upper frame portion 3 a, however, the heightof the vertical surface 3 f increases toward the rear end of the upperframe portion 3 a. Accordingly, the horizontal surface 3 g is positionedat a lower height level toward the rear end of the upper frame portion 3a relative to the glass run mount 8.

A garnish 9 made of, for example, a resin plate is attached on theexterior part of the rear frame 3 b of the window frame 3. The garnish 9extends vertically along the exterior surface of the rear frame 3 b tocover the exterior surface. The upper end of the garnish 9 reaches therear end of the upper frame portion 3 a. The garnish 9 may be excluded.

Automobile Door Sealing Structure

The vehicle door sealing structure is mounted to the window frame 3 ofthe left front door 1, and includes at least a glass run 10 thatprovides a seal between the window frame 3 and the window glass 4, and aweather strip 50 mounted to the window frame 3 and located closer to theinterior of the cabin than the glass run 10 is.

Structure of Automobile Door Glass Run 10

As illustrated in FIG. 7, a left front door glass run 10 is a so-called“hiding type” glass run which covers at least an exterior part of thewindow frame 3. As will be described in detail later, the left frontdoor glass run 10 is assembled on the upper frame portion 3 a from theexterior of the cabin, and functions as a seal which seals a gap betweenthe window frame 3 and the window glass 4. The left front door glass run10 further covers the glass run mount 8 that is the exterior part of thewindow frame 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the left front door glass run 10 includes anupper glass run portion 11, a front vertical glass run portion 12, and arear vertical glass run portion 13. The upper glass run portion 11, thefront vertical glass run portion 12, and the rear vertical glass runportion 13 are integrally formed together. The upper glass run portion11 extends in the front-rear direction along the upper frame portion 3 athat is the upper part of the window frame 3, and is curved along theupper frame portion 3 a in the state assembled on the glass run mount 8.

The front vertical glass run portion 12 extends downward from the frontend of the upper glass run portion 11. The rear vertical glass runportion 13 extends downward from the rear end of the upper glass runportion 11. The front vertical glass run portion 12 and the rearvertical glass run portion 13 extend to the interior of the door body 2,and vertically guide the front part and the rear part of the windowglass 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper glass run portion 11 of the leftfront door glass run 10 includes a glass run body 20 and a trim strip30. The glass run body 20 has an insertion groove 14 into which theglass run mount 8 of the upper frame portion 3 a is inserted. The trimstrip 30 is assembled on the exterior part of the glass run body 20 andextends in the front-rear direction. The trim strip 30 is assembled onlyon the glass run body 20 forming the upper glass run portion 11 and isnot assembled on the front vertical glass run portion 12 or the rearvertical glass run portion 13. The trim strip 30 may be excluded fromthe upper glass run portion 11. In this case, for example, an upperbody-side mating portion 23 a and a lower body-side mating portion 23 b,which are described later, may be excluded.

The glass run body 20 includes an upper plate portion 21, a lower plateportion 22, and an exterior plate portion 23 away from the cabin. Theupper plate portion 21 extends along the upper surface of the glass runmount 8. The lower plate portion 22 extends along the lower surface ofthe glass run mount 8. The exterior plate portion 23 vertically extendsfrom the exterior end, away from the cabin, of the upper plate portion21 to the exterior end, away from the cabin, of the lower plate portion22. The upper plate portion 21, the lower plate portion 22, and theexterior plate portion 23 are integrally formed together.

The insertion groove 14 in which the glass run mount 8 is inserted isformed between the upper plate portion 21 and the lower plate portion22. The insertion groove 14 has an opening defined by the inner ends ofthe upper plate portion 21 and the lower plate portion 22, and extendsin the front-rear direction. The exterior plate portion 23 constitutes abottom of the insertion groove 14. With the glass run body 20 mounted onthe glass run mount 8, the depth of the insertion groove 14 and thedimension (dimension in the lateral direction) of the glass run mount 8in an inward-outward direction of the cabin are determined such that theexterior end of the glass run mount 8 reaches near the bottom of theinsertion groove 14.

The upper plate portion 21, the lower plate portion 22, and the exteriorplate portion 23 are formed of a high-stiffness material having aflexural constant ranging from 2000 MPa to 5000 MPa. Examples of such ahigh-stiffness material include hard resin (such as polypropylene withtalc or glass fiber mixed), but is not limited thereto. Instead of hardresin, other materials and various composite materials are alsoapplicable. Use of the above-described high-stiffness material for theupper plate portion 21, the lower plate portion 22, and the exteriorplate portion 23 can increase the stiffness of the upper plate portion21, the lower plate portion 22, and the exterior plate portion 23, andparticularly prevent a wide separation between the upper plate portion21 and the lower plate portion 22. This structure allows the upper plateportion 21 and the lower plate portion 22 to firmly holding the glassrun mount 8 in the thickness direction with the glass run body 20mounted on the glass run mount 8. This can substantially prevent theleft front door glass run 10 from being accidentally detached from theglass run mount 8 and sufficiently increase the anchoring strength ofthe left front door glass run 10.

The lower surface of the upper plate portion 21 has a plurality of upperengaging projections 21 a projecting downward and formed at certainintervals in the inward-outward direction of the cabin. The upperengaging projection 21 a can be designed so as to have its lower end bein contact with the upper surface of the glass run mount 8. The upperengaging projection 21 a located closer to the interior of the cabinabuts on, and engages with, a raised portion 8 a, which projects upwardfrom the upper surface of the glass run mount 8, from the exterior ofthe cabin. As a result, the left front door glass run 10 becomes lesslikely to be detached from the glass run mount 8.

The upper surface of the lower plate portion 22 has a plurality of lowerengaging projections 22 a projecting upward and formed at certainintervals in the inward-outward direction of the cabin. The lowerengaging projection 22 a can be designed so as to have its upper end bein contact with the lower surface of the glass run mount 8. The verticaldistance between the upper end of the lower engaging projection 22 a andthe lower end of the upper engaging projection 21 a may be as large asthe thickness of the glass run mount 8 or may be slightly larger thanthe thickness of the glass run mount 8 for easier assembly.

The glass run body 20 is provided with an upper sealing lip 24 at anupper part of its exterior part. The upper sealing lip 24 projectsupward and is designed to be bent toward the exterior of the cabin, uponcontact with a vehicle body 100. A base end of the upper sealing lip 24is fixed to, and is integrated with, an exterior part of the uppersurface of the upper plate portion 21. When the upper sealing lip 24 isnot in contact with the vehicle body 100, i.e., when the left front door1 is open, the upper sealing lip 24 is projecting substantially straightupward as illustrated in FIG. 4. When the upper sealing lip 24 is incontact with the vehicle body 100, i.e., when the left front door 1 isclosed, although not illustrated, the upper sealing lip 24 is pushedoutward and obliquely downward from the cabin by the vehicle body 100,and is elastically deformed to have its top end be positioned fartherfrom the cabin than the base end is, and closely contacts the vehiclebody 100. This structure provides the upper sealing lip 24 with sealingproperties. Examples of the vehicle body 100 include a body panel.

The glass run body 20 is provided with an interior sealing lip 25 at anupper part of its interior part. The interior sealing lip 25 projectsobliquely upward to the exterior of the cabin, and is designed to bebent toward the exterior of the cabin, upon contact with the vehiclebody 100. A base end of the interior sealing lip 25 is fixed to, and isintegrated with, an interior part of the upper surface of the upperplate portion 21. When the interior sealing lip 25 is not in contactwith the vehicle body 100, i.e., when the left front door 1 is open, theinterior sealing lip 25 projects outward and obliquely upward from thecabin as illustrated in FIG. 4. When the interior sealing lip 25 is incontact with the vehicle body 100, i.e., when the left front door 1 isclosed, although not illustrated, the interior sealing lip 25 is pushedoutward and obliquely downward from the cabin by the vehicle body 100,and is elastically deformed to be close to the base end of the uppersealing lip 24, and closely contacts the vehicle body 100. Thisstructure provides the interior sealing lip 25 with sealing properties.

The glass run body is provided with a door panel sealing lip 26 at aposition closer to the cabin. The door panel sealing lip 26 protrudesdownward from the interior end of the upper plate portion 21 to contactthe upper frame portion 3 a, and extends in the front-rear direction.The door panel sealing lip 26 is fixed to, and is integrated with, aninterior end of the upper plate portion 21. The door panel sealing lip26 will be described in more detail below. In addition, a raised portion21 c protruding upward is formed at the interior end of the upper plateportion 21.

The glass run body 20 further has, at a lower part of its exterior part,a lower sealing portion 27 projecting downward. Abase end of the lowersealing portion 27 is fixed to, and is integrated with, an exterior partof the lower surface of the lower plate portion 22. The lower sealingportion 27 further has a lower portion bending toward the interior ofthe cabin. The lower part of the lower sealing portion 27 contacts theexterior surface of the closed window glass 4.

The glass run body 20 further has, at a lower part of its interior part,a lower sealing portion 28 projecting downward. The lower sealingportion 28 has its base end fixed to, and integrated with, an interiorend surface of the lower plate portion 22. The lower sealing portion 28further has a lower portion bending toward the interior of the cabin.The lower portion of the lower sealing portion 28 contacts the outerpanel 5 of the window frame 3. The lower sealing portion 28 furthercontacts an interior surface of the closed window glass 4.

The lower plate portion 22 has, on its lower surface, a middle sealinglip 29 located between the base end of the lower sealing portion 27 andthe base end of the lower sealing portion 28. The middle sealing lip 29has a base end fixed to, and integrated with, a middle portion of thelower surface of the lower plate portion 22 in the inward-outwarddirection of the cabin. The middle sealing lip 29 extends outward andobliquely downward from the cabin and contacts an upper end of theclosed window glass 4.

The upper sealing lip 24, the interior sealing lip 25, the door panelsealing lip 26, the lower sealing portion 27, the lower sealing portion28, and the middle sealing lip 29 are integrated with members (the upperplate portion 21, the lower plate portion 22, and the exterior plateportion 23) formed of the above-described high-stiffness material. Thisstructure ensures maintainability of the shapes in assembly even if theyare formed of a material softer than the high-stiffness material andthus easy to be elastically deformed. For example, the upper sealing lip24, the interior sealing lip 25, the door panel sealing lip 26, thelower sealing portion 27, the lower sealing portion 28, and the middlesealing lip 29 may be formed from an elastic material such asethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) and thermoplastic olefinelastomer (TPO). The EPDM or TPO may be in a foamed state, or in a solidstate with no bubbles. TPO is more preferable for use if hard resin suchas polypropylene is used for the above-described high-stiffnessmaterial.

The upper sealing lip 24, the interior sealing lip 25, the door panelsealing lip 26, the lower sealing portion 27, the lower sealing portion28, and the middle sealing lip 29 form the glass run body 20 along withthe upper plate portion 21, the lower plate portion 22, and the exteriorplate portion 23.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the center portion of the upper glassrun portion 11 in the front-rear direction is formed by extrusion and isreferred to as an extruded part 10A. The extruded part 10A is formed bya known extrusion method to have a uniform cross-section. A portion ofthe upper glass run portion 11 at a position, closer to the rear endthan the extruded part 10A is, is formed by molding with an openablemold (not illustrated) and is referred to as a molded part 10B. Themolded part 10B is formed by a mold device including, for example, anupper mold and a lower mold, and including a mold drive mechanism thatmoves one of the molds to and away from the other mold.

The boundary between the extruded part 10A and the molded part 10B isindicated by a dash-dot line L in FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 8. The centerportion of the door panel sealing lip 26 in the front-rear direction ismade of the extruded part 10A and a portion of the door panel sealinglip 26 at a position closer to the rear end is made of the molded part10B. This structure can be formed by various methods. One example isthat, first, a long extruded part 10A including the shape of the doorpanel sealing lip 26 is formed and then a portion, corresponding to thedoor panel sealing lip 26, at the rear of the extruded part 10A is cutoff and a molded part 10B is integrally formed with the rear of theextruded part 10A. With this process, a door panel sealing lip 26 madeof the extruded part 10A and a door panel sealing lip 26 made of themolded part 10B can be integrated to have a continuous shape.

The trim strip 30 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a member included for vehicledesign purposes, and typically made of hard material such as stainlesssteel or aluminum. In this embodiment, the trim strip 30 is formed of astainless plate member. The trim strip 30 has an elongated shapeextending in the front-rear direction along the glass run body 20. Thetrim strip 30 has its front end located near the front end of the upperframe portion 3 a of the window frame 3 and has its rear end locatednear the rear end of the upper frame portion 3 a of the window frame 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the trim strip 30 has, at its upperand lower parts, upper and lower trim-strip-side mating portions 31 and32 mating with the exterior part of the glass run body 20 and extendingin the front-rear direction. The upper trim-strip-side mating portion 31is folded toward the interior of the cabin and is bent downward, and isopen downward. The lower trim-strip-side mating portion 32 is foldedtoward the interior of the cabin and is bent upward, and is open upward.The trim strip 30 further has a design portion 33 between the upper andlower trim-strip-side mating portions 31 and 32. The design portion 33is gently curved toward the exterior of the cabin.

The glass run body 20 has, at its exterior part, upper and lowerbody-side mating portions 23 a and 23 b extending in the front-reardirection and configured to mate with the upper and lowertrim-strip-side mating portions 31 and 32. That is to say, the exteriorplate portion 23 of the glass run body 20 has, at its exterior surface,a base portion 23 c extending toward the exterior of the cabin. The baseportion 23 c is located near the vertical middle portion of the exteriorsurface of the exterior plate portion 23, and is continuous in thefront-rear direction.

The upper and lower body-side mating portions 23 a and 23 b continuouslyextend from the front end to the rear end of the glass run body 20, andare formed in the shape of a rail to guide a trim strip 30, which willbe described later, in the front-rear direction in assembling the trimstrip 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the upper trim-strip-side mating portion 31 ofthe trim strip 30 is designed to surround the upper body-side matingportion 23 a of the glass run body 20 from above and to mate with theupper body-side mating portion 23 a in this state. The lower trimstrip-side mating portion 32 of the trim strip 30 is designed tosurround the lower body-side mating portion 23 b of the glass run body20 from below and to mate with the lower body-side mating portion 23 bin this state. When the upper and lower trim-strip-side mating portions31 and 32 respectively mate with the upper and lower body-side matingportions 23 a and 23 b, the shapes of the upper and lowertrim-strip-side mating portions 31 and 32 function to substantiallyprevent displacement of the trim strip 30 from the glass run body 20 inthe inward-outward direction and the vertical direction of the cabin.

In this embodiment, the upper and lower body-side mating portions 23 aand 23 b are integrally formed with the exterior plate portion 23. Thisallows the upper body-side mating portion 23 a and the lower body-sidemating portion 23 b to be formed of the high-stiffness material. Thisstructure can reduce accidental detachment of the trim strip 30 from theglass run body 20 with the upper and lower trim-strip-side matingportions 31 and 32 respectively mating with the upper and lowerbody-side mating portions 23 a and 23 b.

The glass run body 20 has, at its exterior part, an upper contactingportion 40 formed of an elastic material and configured to contact anupper part of the exterior surface of the trim strip 30. The uppercontacting portion 40 projects outward from an exterior surface of abase end of the upper sealing lip 24. The upper contacting portion 40and the upper sealing lip 24 are integrally formed together. The uppercontacting portion 40 is tapered toward its front end (the exterior ofthe cabin) in the projecting direction, and continuously extends in thefront-rear direction. The lower surface of the front end of the uppercontacting portion 40 contacts the trim strip 30 from above, eliminatinga gap between the upper part of the trim strip 30 and the upper part ofthe glass run body 20 to improve the appearance.

Furthermore, the upper contacting portion 40 and the upper sealing lip24 are integrally formed together through a thick base end 24 a. Uponelastic deformation of the upper sealing lip 24 in the outward directionof the cabin, the upper contacting portion 40 is therefore slightlydisplaced based on the amount and the direction of deformation of theupper sealing lip 24. For example, as described above, the upper sealinglip 24 projects substantially straight upward when the left front door 1is open. In this state, the position and the shape of the uppercontacting portion 40 are determined such that the lower surface of thefront end of the upper contacting portion 40 contacts the trim strip 30from above. When the left front door 1 is closed, the upper sealing lip24 is elastically deformed so as to be inclined outward and obliquelydownward from the cabin. This deformation makes the upper contactingportion 40 slightly displaced outward and downward from the cabinthrough the thick base end 24 a. The lower surface of the front end ofthe upper contacting portion 40 accordingly touches the trim strip 30slightly harder from above, allowing the upper contacting portion 40 andthe trim strip 30 to further closely contact each other.

The glass run body 20 has, at its exterior part, a lower contactingportion 41 located below and apart from the upper contacting portion 40.The lower contacting portion 41 is formed of an elastic material, and isdesigned to contact the lower part of the exterior surface of the trimstrip 30. The lower contacting portion 41 bulges outward from theexterior surface of the lower sealing portion 27, and is integrallyformed with the lower sealing portion 27. The lower contacting portion41 continuously extends in the front-rear direction. The lowercontacting portion 41 contacts the trim strip 30 from below, eliminatinga gap between the lower part of the trim strip 30 and the lower part ofthe glass run body 20 to improve the appearance.

The lower contacting portion 41 and the lower sealing portion 27 areintegrally formed together, and both extend downward from a base end 27a. Upon elastic deformation of the lower sealing portion 27, the lowercontacting portion 41 is therefore displaced based on the amount and thedirection of deformation of the lower sealing portion 27. For example,as described above, when the window glass 4 is closed, the lower sealingportion 27 contacts the exterior surface of the window glass 4, and maybe elastically deformed toward the exterior of the cabin. The lowercontacting portion 41 is accordingly displaced toward the exterior ofthe cabin, and touches the trim strip 30 hard from below, ensuring firmcontact between the lower contacting portion 41 and the trim strip 30.

The glass run body 20 further has, at its exterior part, projections 23d projecting outward from the cabin and configured to contact aninterior surface of the trim strip 30. The projection 23 d contacts theinterior surface of the trim strip 30, substantially preventing a widerarea of the exterior plate portion 23 from contacting the trim strip 30.The projection 23 d can be integrally formed with the exterior plateportion 23.

Coating for Reducing Sliding Resistance

In this embodiment, the trim strip 30 is assembled on the glass run body20 by sliding the trim strip 30 along the glass run body 20 from an endin the longitudinal direction. This structure can reduce the slidingresistance of the trim strip 30 in the assembly operation, and allowsmanual assembly of the trim strip 30 by a worker.

That is to say, the upper contacting portion 40 has a portion contactingthe trim strip 30, and the portion is provided with an elastic uppercoating 40 a. The upper coating 40 a has a sliding resistance to thetrim strip 30 lower than an elastic material forming a covered portionof the upper contacting portion 40 by the upper coating 40 a. Morespecifically, the covered portion of the upper contacting portion 40 bythe upper coating 40 a is formed of a similar elastic material to theupper sealing lip 24 and others, whereas the upper coating 40 a isformed from a material fabricated by mixing silicone with olefin seriesresin and therefore having a kinetic friction coefficient lower than thesimilar elastic material to the upper sealing lip 24 and others. Theupper coating 40 a may be formed from another material other than thematerial fabricated by mixing silicone with olefin series resin.

The kinetic friction coefficient of the upper coating 40 a is preferably0.5 or less. The kinetic friction coefficient of the upper coating 40 acan be changed as necessity by adjusting the amount of mixed silicone.The elastic material forming the covered portion of the upper contactingportion 40 by the upper coating 40 a has a kinetic friction coefficientof about 0.6.

A method for measuring a kinetic friction coefficient will now bedescribed. The method for measuring a kinetic friction coefficientdescribed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H09-123761 isapplicable in this case, and the above-described kinetic frictioncoefficients are values obtained using this method. “HEIDON-14D” ofSHINTO Scientific Co., ltd. was prepared as a surface texture measuringinstrument, and the kinetic friction coefficients were measured using asheet-metal shaped like watch glass. As illustrated in FIG. 3 ofJapanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H09-123761, a kineticfriction coefficient is measured by pressing the sheet-metal shaped likewatch glass against the upper surface of a sample at a load of 1 kgf andrelatively moving the sheet-metal shaped like watch glass and the sampleat a speed of 1000 mm/min.

The lower contacting portion 41 has a portion contacting the trim strip30, and the portion is provided with a lower coating 41 a. The lowercoating 41 a has a kinetic friction coefficient to the trim strip 30lower than an elastic material forming a covered portion of the lowercontacting portion 41 by the lower coating 41 a. The lower coating 41 acan be formed from the same material as the material used for the uppercoating 40 a, and have the same thickness as the upper coating 40 a.

Method for Assembling Automobile Door Glass Run

The left front door glass run 10 configured as above is assembled by thefollowing method. A portion (the upper glass run portion 11) of theglass run body 20 designed to extend along the upper frame portion 3 ais originally linear before the glass run body 20 is mounted on thewindow frame 3. The trim strip 30 is preliminarily curvedly formed tofit along the upper frame portion 3 a of the window frame 3.

In the sliding assembly process, the glass run body 20 is assembled byrespectively mating one ends of the upper and lower body-side matingportions 23 a and 23 b of the glass run body 20 in the longitudinaldirection with one ends of the upper and lower trim-strip-side matingportions 31 and 32 of the trim strip 30 in the longitudinal direction,and then, sliding the glass run body 20 along the trim strip 30 in thelongitudinal direction.

In the sliding assembly process, first, rear ends of the upper and lowerbody-side mating portions 23 a and 23 b of the glass run body 20 areallowed to respectively mate with front ends of the upper and lowertrim-strip-side mating portions 31 and 32 of the trim strip 30. Afterthe upper and lower body-side mating portions 23 a and 23 b respectivelymate with the upper and lower trim-strip-side mating portions 31 and 32,the glass run body 20 is slid along the trim strip 30 toward the rearside. As described above, in sliding, because the trim strip 30 iscurved whereas the upper glass run portion 11 of the glass run body 20is linear, the upper contacting portion 40 of the sliding glass run body20 particularly tightly contacts the upper trim-strip-side matingportion 31 of the trim strip 30. In addition, the lower contactingportion 41 of the glass run body 20 may contact the lowertrim-strip-side mating portion 32 of the trim strip 30.

In this step, the upper contacting portion 40 has the portion contactingthe trim strip 30, and the portion is covered by the upper coating 40 ahaving a lower kinetic friction coefficient to the trim strip 30 thanthe upper contacting portion 40. This reduces the sliding resistancebetween the upper part of the trim strip 30 and the upper contactingportion 40. Likewise, the lower contacting portion 41 has the portioncontacting the trim strip 30, and the portion is covered by the lowercoating 41 a having a lower kinetic friction coefficient to the trimstrip 30 than the lower contacting portion 41. This reduces the slidingresistance between the lower part of the trim strip 30 and the lowercontacting portion 41. This structure facilitates manual assembly of theglass run body 20 on the trim strip 30 by a worker and thus makes itunnecessary to introduce any machine for trim strip assembly. Thesliding operation ends when the front end of the upper glass run portion11 of the glass run body 20 reaches the front end of the trim strip 30.In this manner, the glass run body 20 is assembled on the trim strip 30,thereby completing assembly operation of the left front door glass run10.

With the trim strip 30 curved upward, the upper part of the trim strip30 tightly contacts the glass run body 20 compared to the lower part ofthe trim strip 30. Because of this structure, the glass run body 20 onlyhas to include the upper coating 40 a and may exclude the lower coating41 a.

In the sliding assembly process, the glass run body 20 is slid along thetrim strip 30. Conversely, the trim strip 30 may be slid along the glassrun body 20.

For Use of Automobile Door Glass Run

For mounting the left front door glass run 10 to the left front door 1,the left front door glass run 10 is mounted on the glass run mount 8 ofthe window frame 3 with the upper engaging projections 21 a of the upperplate portion 21 and the lower engaging projections 22 a of the lowerplate portion 22 respectively contacting the upper surface and the lowersurface of the glass run mount 8. In this state with the left front doorglass run 10 mounted, the upper plate portion 21, the lower plateportion 22, and the exterior plate portion 23 each have a flexuralconstant ranging from 2000 MPa to 5000 MPa. This structure can increasethe anchoring strength of the glass run body 20 to the glass run mount8.

Thereafter, when the left front door 1 is closed, the upper sealing lip24 and the interior sealing lip 25 of the glass run body 20 contact thevehicle body 100 and are elastically deformed so as to bend toward theexterior of the cabin, thereby sealing between the window frame 3 andthe vehicle body 100. Upon deformation by bending of the upper sealinglip 24, the upper contacting portion 40, which is provided to theexterior part of the thick base end 24 a of the upper sealing lip 24, isslightly displaced toward the exterior of the cabin, and further closelycontacts the upper part of the exterior surface of the trim strip 30.This structure can eliminate a gap between the upper contacting portion40 and the trim strip 30 to improve the appearance.

Structure of Weather Strip

Described next is the weather strip 50. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 7,the weather strip 50 is mounted to the horizontal surface 3 g that isthe lower portion of the step part 3 e in the upper frame portion 3 a.The weather strip 50 includes an upper weather strip 51 extending alongthe upper frame portion 3 a in the front-rear direction of the vehicle,and a rear weather strip 52 extending downward from the rear end of theupper weather strip 51. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the weather strip 50further includes a front weather strip 53 extending downward from thefront end of the upper weather strip 51, and a lower weather strip 54extending from the lower end of the rear weather strip 52 to the lowerend of the front weather strip 53. The weather strip 50 has an annularshape extending along the peripheral portion of the left front door 1 ata position closer to the cabin.

The weather strip 50 includes a weather strip rear corner 55 at whichthe upper weather strip 51 and the rear weather strip 52 are connected.The weather strip rear corner 55 is mounted to a rear curved portion ofthe window frame 3. The weather strip 50 includes a weather strip frontcorner 56 at which the upper weather strip 51 and the front weatherstrip 53 are connected. The weather strip front corner 56 is mounted toa front curved portion of the window frame 3. Certain types of vehiclesinclude a sharp-edged front corner or rear corner at which frames abut,not a window frame 3 with generally curved corners. However, manyvehicles with a hidden-type structure typically include a window frame 3with generally curved corners. In this regard, the weather strip 50 forthe hidden-type structure is typically formed by extrusion for almostall around the annular shape to have an extruded cross-section, and hasonly one connecting portion (for example, in the lower weather strip 54)at which ends of the weather strip 50 are connected to make the weatherstrip 50 an endless annular shape.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper weather strip 51 includes ahollow seal part 57, an outer sealing lip 58, and a plate-shaped mount59. The hollow seal part 57, the outer sealing lip 58, and the mount 59are integrally formed together, and can be formed by extrusion with, forexample, the same elastic material as that of the door panel sealing lip26. In many cases, the entire weather strip 50 is made of a foammaterial for greater water tightness.

The mount 59 is mounted to the horizontal surface 3 g of the step part 3e in the upper frame portion 3 a and extends along the horizontalsurface 3 g. The mount 59 can be mounted to the horizontal surface 3 gby using, for example, clips or a double-sided adhesive tape, which arenot illustrated. When clips are used, heads of the clips may be insertedinto preformed mounting holes on the horizontal surface 3 g through themount 59 and fitted with the perimeter of the mounting holes. When adouble-sided adhesive tape is used, an adhesive surface of thedouble-sided adhesive tape is bonded to the mount 59 and then the otheradhesive surface is bonded to the horizontal surface 3 g. Thedouble-sided adhesive tape may be first bonded to the horizontal surface3 g.

The hollow seal part 57 is raised upward from the mount 59 and inwardtoward the cabin. When the left front door 1 is closed, the hollow sealpart 57 is located between the upper frame portion 3 a and the vehiclebody 100 and is compressed and elastically deformed by the vehicle body100. The hollow seal part 57 is tightly in contact with the vehicle 100and can provide a seal.

The outer sealing lip 58 protrudes upward from the exterior part of thehollow seal part 57 to contact an interior end surface 21 of the upperplate portion 21 or the interior surface of the door panel sealing lip26 of the glass run 10. The outer sealing lip 58 is thinner toward theupper end.

Since the upper weather strip 51 is mounted to the horizontal surface 3g of the step part 3 e in the upper frame portion 3 a, the upper weatherstrip 51 is formed in conformance to the shape of the horizontal surface3 g. In other words, the center portion of the upper weather strip 51 inthe front-rear direction extends linearly in the front-rear direction,and the upper weather strip 51 is located generally downward toward therear end as illustrated in FIG. 9 as the height of the vertical surface3 f of the window frame 3 gradually increases toward the rear end. Thecenter portion of the upper glass run portion 11 in the front-reardirection extends linearly in the front-rear direction and extendsfurther to the rear end at substantially the same height position.

The center portions of the upper weather strip 51 and the upper glassrun portion 11 in the front-rear direction extend generally parallel toeach other in the front-rear direction, but the upper weather strip 51extends downwardly apart from the upper glass run portion 11 toward therear end (an end in the front-rear direction), or in other words,sealing members are gradually separated from each other, which isillustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11.

When the upper weather strip 51 is downwardly apart from the upper glassrun portion 11, the outer sealing lip 58 of the weather strip 50 isapart from the end surface 21 d of the upper plate portion 21 or thedoor panel sealing lip 26 of the glass run 10 as illustrated in FIG. 11,which in turn creates the gap 200 between the outer sealing lip 58 andthe door panel sealing lip 26. Through the gap 200, water such as rainmay enter the cabin.

Specific Structure of Door Panel Sealing Lip 26

In this embodiment, the door panel sealing lip 26 has a form changepoint 26 a as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8 to substantially preventformation of the gap 200. In other words, the door panel sealing lip 26has the form change point 26 a for changing the form of the door panelsealing lip 26 at a position immediately before the upper weather strip51 is downwardly apart from the upper glass run portion 11. The formchange point 26 a can have a shape of a cut or notch formed upward fromthe lower end of the door panel sealing lip 26. A cut can be formed by,for example, a cutting blade. A notch can be formed by, for example, acutting blade by cutting off a part of the door panel sealing lip 26, orcan be formed in the molding process, and whichever method may be used.In this embodiment, the form change point 26 a is located in the moldedpart 10B, and thus the form change point 26 a can be simultaneouslyformed in the molding process for forming the molded part 10B.

The form change point 26 a may be, for example, a thinner part, which isnot illustrated, or it may take any form that allows the door panelsealing lip 26 to change its form.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the door panel sealing lip 26 having the formchange point 26 a can be deformed or bent in different directionsbetween portions 26A and 26B of the door panel sealing lip 26, theportion 26A being closer to the center portion in the front-reardirection than the form change point 26 a is, and the portion 26B beingcloser to an end than the form change point 26 a is. As illustrated inFIG. 7, in the door panel sealing lip 26, the portion 26A, closer to thecenter portion in the front-rear direction than the form change point 26a is, contacts the upper surface of the glass run mount 8 of the upperframe portion 3 a and is bent outward away from the vehicle cabin. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, in the door panel sealing lip 26, the portion26B, closer to the end than the form change point 26 a is, extendsdownward.

It is difficult to form, by extrusion, the portion 26B of the door panelsealing lip 26 closer to the end than the form change point 26 a is.However, the portion 26B can be formed by molding and can be formed in athinner shape toward the lower end or a very thin, sharp-edged shape.Such a shape can minimize a gap (sealing gap) between the outer sealinglip 58 and the portion 26B of the door panel sealing lip 26, closer tothe end than the form change point 26 a is, when the weather strip 50 ismounted at a generally lower position and the outer sealing lip 58 losescontact with the door panel sealing lip 26. As a result, such astructure can provide a better seal.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the door panel sealing lip 26, the portion26B, closer to the end than the form change point 26 a is, contacts aninterior part of the vertical surface 3 f of the step part 3 e in theupper frame portion 3 a. In the door panel sealing lip 26, the portion26B, closer to the end than the form change point 26 a is, is sandwichedbetween the vertical surface 3 f of the step part 3 e and the outersealing lip 58 of the upper weather strip 51 in the thickness direction.This structure can provide a seal between the vertical surface 3 f ofthe step part 3 e in the upper frame portion 3 a and the door panelsealing lip 26 and between the door panel sealing lip 26 and the outersealing lip 58.

With the form change point 26 a, the contact portion of the upperweather strip 51 with the door panel sealing lip 26 extends inaccordance with the downwardly curved shape of the upper weather strip51 as indicated by a dash double-dot line S in FIG. 8, and continuouslyextends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

Advantages of Embodiment

As described above, according to the embodiment, the upper glass runportion 11 is mountable to the glass run mount 8 of the window frame 3from the exterior of the cabin, and the upper weather strip 51 ismountable at a position located closer to the interior of the cabin thanthe glass run mount 8 of the window frame 3 is.

Since the center portions of the upper weather strip 51 and the upperglass run portion 11 in the front-rear direction extend generallyparallel to each other in the front-rear direction, the outer sealinglip 58 of the upper weather strip 51 is in contact with the portion 26Aof the door panel sealing lip 26, closer to the center portion in thefront-rear direction than the form change point 26 a is, therebysubstantially preventing water from entering the cabin. The upperweather strip 51 extends downwardly apart from the upper glass runportion 11 toward an end. In accordance with this form, in the doorpanel sealing lip 26, the portion 26B, closer to the end than the formchange point 26 a is, can extend downward. This structure allows theportion 26B of the door panel sealing lip 26, closer to the end than theform change point 26 a is, to contact the outer sealing lip 58 of theupper weather strip 51 and can substantially prevent water from enteringthe cabin.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

The embodiment described above is a mere example in every respect, andshall not be interpreted in a limited manner. Any modification andchange equivalent to the scope of claims fall within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Although not specifically described, the present disclosure can also beused for a front corner of the front door. In other words, in themounting structure of the glass run 10 and the weather strip 50,separation of the weather strip 50 from the glass run 10 at the weatherstrip rear corner 55 may occur at the weather strip front corner 56,too.

Although not illustrated, the present disclosure is also applicable to,e.g., a rear door. In other words, with regard to the rear door, theglass run linearly extends toward the front of the vehicle at the upperside of the window frame, but the weather strip curvilinearly extendsdownward toward the front end of the window frame, which is a typicalautomobile structure. This structure creates a gap as described aboveand water such as rain may enter the vehicle cabin through the gap.According to the present disclosure, the door panel sealing lip of theupper glass run portion has the form change point, and this allows theouter sealing lip of the upper weather strip to contact the portion ofthe door panel sealing lip, closer to the center portion in thefront-rear direction than the form change point is, in the upper glassrun portion. This can substantially prevent water from entering thecabin. Further, the outer sealing lip of the upper weather strip isallowed to contact the portion of the door panel sealing lip closer tothe end portion in the front-rear direction than the form change pointis. This can substantially prevent water from entering the cabin.

As described above, the automobile door sealing structure according tothe present disclosure can be used for all the portions suffering fromseparation of sealing members.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automobile door sealing structure comprising:a glass run mounted to a window frame defining a window opening of anautomobile door to provide a seal between the window frame and a windowglass; and a weather strip mounted to the window frame and locatedcloser to a cabin than the glass run is, wherein the glass run includesan upper glass run portion extending in a front-rear direction of avehicle along an upper frame portion of the window frame, the upperglass run portion includes a glass run body having an insertion grooveinto which a glass run mount of the upper frame portion is inserted, theglass run body includes an upper plate portion extending along an uppersurface of the glass run mount, a lower plate portion extending along alower surface of the glass run mount, and an exterior plate portionextending from an exterior end of the upper plate portion to an exteriorend of the lower plate portion, the glass run body has a door panelsealing lip protruding downward from an interior end of the upper plateportion to contact the upper frame portion, the door panel sealing lipextending in the front-rear direction, the weather strip includes anupper weather strip extending in the front-rear direction along theupper frame portion, and mounted to a lower portion of a step part inthe upper frame portion, the step part being located closer to the cabinthan the glass run mount is, and having an exterior upper portion awayfrom the cabin and an interior lower portion closer to the cabin, theupper weather strip includes a hollow seal part configured toelastically deform upon compression by a vehicle body and an outersealing lip protruding upward from an exterior part of the hollow sealpart to contact an interior end surface of the upper plate portion andan interior part of the door panel sealing lip of the glass run body,center portions of the upper weather strip and the upper glass runportion in the front-rear direction extend generally parallel to eachother in the front-rear direction, and the upper weather strip extendsdownwardly apart from the upper glass run portion toward an end in thefront-rear direction, and the door panel sealing lip has a form changepoint for changing form of the door panel sealing lip at a positionimmediately before the upper weather strip is downwardly apart from theupper glass run portion, the door panel sealing lip has a portionlocated closer to the center portion in the front-rear direction thanthe form change point is, contacting the upper surface of the glass runmount of the upper frame portion and bent outward away from the cabin,and the door panel sealing lip has another portion located closer to anend in the front-rear direction than the form change point is, andextending downward.
 2. The automobile door sealing structure of claim 1,wherein the form change point is a cut or a notch formed upward from alower end of the door panel sealing lip.
 3. The automobile door sealingstructure of claim 2, wherein the center portion of the upper glass runportion in the front-rear direction is an extruded portion formed byextrusion, and a portion of the upper glass run portion, located closerto an end in the front-rear direction than the extruded portion is, is amolded portion formed by molding with an openable mold, and the formchange point is located in the molded portion.
 4. The automobile doorsealing structure of claim 3, wherein in the door panel sealing lip, theportion, located closer to the end in the front-rear direction than theform change point is, is thinner toward the lower end.
 5. The automobiledoor sealing structure of claim 4, wherein in the door panel sealinglip, the portion, located closer to the end in the front-rear directionthan the form change point is, contacts an interior part of a verticalsurface of the step part in the upper frame portion.
 6. The automobiledoor sealing structure of claim 5, wherein in the door panel sealinglip, the portion, located closer to the end in the front-rear directionthan the form change point is, is sandwiched between the verticalsurface and the outer sealing lip in a thickness direction.